When in an automatic beverage filling system a straw is to be attached to the filled sheet bags at the end of the process, the straw being usable for withdrawing the beverage, a straw attaching apparatus is used for such a purpose. To this end, a generic apparatus comprises a transportation means with the help of which the beverage-filled sheet bags are transported to the straw attaching point. The straws are fed in the form of a continuous stripe to the beverage-filled bags. The straws of such a stripe are normally oriented in a direction perpendicular to the direction of transportation and are connected to a tape. Before the straw is attached to the beverage-filled sheet bags, the tape is severed or detached. A pressing means presses the isolated straws to the beverage-filled sheet bags. The straw is e.g. held by an adhesive on the beverage-filled bag, the adhesive having been applied to the bag beforehand. The individual straws may be enclosed in protective covers.
In the known apparatuses, the output is limited by the maximum speed at which the individual mechanical components can be operated without any deteriorating effect on reliability. Attention must here be paid to the fact that the positioning accuracy decreases at an increasing speed. In case of failure of a straw attaching apparatus, e.g. in the case of a crack in the straw stripe, the whole system must be stopped, or there will be faulty products.